With the holidays sometimes depression can settle in. It can seem like sadness which is common, but can later fall into depression if left untreated.
Initially, we must understand what depression feels like. It is hard to say since each person may feel different symptoms. There are some parallels with these symptoms though. And depression can be subtle and overwhelming at the same time.
Depression can be paralleled with the same concept behind you not realizing your kids are growing up so fast because what you witness is gradual. A distant relative notices your kids growth and can’t seem to believe it. So it is with depression. Your friends may notice it, but you’ve been gradually becoming more depressed and to you it seems to be just another tough day.
Depression starts with a form of a jolt in your emotions. It can be anxiety, sadness, hurt or fear and then become a consistent sadness or a time of feeling “blue”. It increasingly becomes a more severe feeling of being down and feeling like it is hard to come up. You have interupted sleeping patterns and your eating habits change without notice. You feel numb, out of touch, have trouble focusing and you start to isolate yourself.
Simple tasks become hard to do. Like, opening the mail, bill paying, or answering the phone. Here are some signs of depression that you may recognize.
What does it feel like to be depressed you may wonder. It can be different with everyone since there are many different personalities. Here are some common factors. 1. You are consistently irritable. 2. Activities do not seem interesting to you. 3. You feel like an unworthy person and you don’t like yourself. 4. You lose sleep or sleep all the time. 5. You always seem to hurt physically. 6. You can cry at the drop of a hat. 7. You either gain weight or lose weight but you don’t really notice. 8. You can not concentrate and you can not complete tasks. 9. You feel like there is no way out of what you feel. 10. You may be thinking of a permanent escape. Next, if you have thoughts of suicide or want to escape you can do some things to heal. The thoughts may be overwhelming and it is important that you seek solutions immediately. Even though it may seem impossible to talk to anyone, but a pastor or counselor deals with others having these same symptoms and they will help you work through these feelings. It helps to get a professional opinion.
Talking to someone about your feelings of depression always helps. Talking to a counselor or a pastor can be the best step you can take to start feeling good again. Although it may seem like it is hopeless, it is not.
Start journaling. This is one you can do for free. Honestly write down your thoughts and do not edit your thoughts to make them sound better than they are! If you are scared someone might read your most intimate thoughts, read them in the morning then flush them if you want to hide your words. But, the main thing is to start dumping out of your head all your thoughts onto paper. There is something very therapeutic about writing down your thoughts. What most people say is that writing it down was the first time they realized exactly what was going on in their mind. It forces you to be honest and say what is really bothering you. It is also a way to be compassionate toward yourself and give some credit to the feelings that are hurting you so deeply.
Many will write down one issue that is bothering them and then taking that one issue and breaking it down into four categories.
To begin, describe the issue. You are angry with your spouse because they were late for dinner.
Second, write about what happened according to you. For instance, “if he loved you so much then why was he late for this very special dinner?”
Third, write down what emotions you are feeling from this situation: fear, hurt, sadness, lonely, guilt, shame, etc. Or maybe it is easier to identify with one of the following messages: “I feel inadequate, unloved, unappreciated, like I don’t matter, I am defective, unlovable, worthless, embarrassed,” etc.
Fourth, try to describe what action you are taking given the situation, your thoughts, and your emotions. For example, are you escaping, isolating, raging, throwing things, feeling sorry for yourself, blaming others for your misery, mad at someone or God, running away, avoiding the conflict, etc.? If you will write all this down, you will be amazed with how much insight and honesty you will be aware of.
Some who wanted to end their life became hopeful when they could see their thoughts clearly and understood the depression. They found there was hope and that their feelings were only temporary and could be dealt with.
You have heard that time heals, but time only heals if you are healing. If you are not healing, time just petrifies and hardens hearts and makes us self-defensive and over protective. Take a step and begin healing today and get ready for a happier and healthier life!
PS. If your depression has gotten to the point where you are having thoughts of ending your life, please call 911 and get some help immediately. Or call a counselor, who will know how to help.
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